Tuesday, April 17, 2018 1:00 am

In The News

Purdue's Eastern declares for draft

Purdue freshman point guard Nojel Eastern said he would enter the NBA draft but will not hire an agent, the Boilermakers announced Monday.

By declaring for the draft but not hiring an agent, Eastern can work out for NBA teams and receive feedback from team personnel, but also has the option of returning to school. He can participate in the NBA Combine from May 16 to 20 and the deadline for his final decision on whether to enter the draft will be May 30.

Purdue sophomore Carsen Edwards and Indiana junior Juwan Morgan are also taking advantage of the rule.

Eastern, a four-star recruit from Evanston, Illinois, played in all 37 of the Boilers' games, averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. He scored a season-high 11 points in the Big Ten Tournament title game loss to Michigan.

He was not listed among the top 80 draft prospects in Sports Illustrated's March ranking and is not mentioned in most mock drafts.